rubrics (I like that word), wrecking crews and hugfests

[Robin Landseadel]

On Dec 3, 2009, at 6:11 AM, Michael Bailey wrote:

> The knowledge of a great number of spiritual variants
> the willingness to even try some of them (Robin calls this
> an interest in heresy, but the only time we see the H word much
> is in GR referring specifically to William Slothrop's writings)
> and the unwillingness to adopt a particular system and stop thinking
> square with this to some extent...

Heresy, heretical Ideas—they're all over Pynchon's texts, everywhere.  
In CoL 49 it's presented as "The Courier's Tragedy", Scurvhamites , in  
AtD it's the various math wars, all the multiple, incongruent  
religious/spiritual paths, like Buddhism, like the T.W.I.T.s.  
Sometimes it's silly, like the ninjettes of Vineland but underneath  
the silliness there are always betrayals of dogma, betrayals of the  
"Rules of the Game." I take heresy in Pynchon's books to go beyond  
heretical relations to one's religious faith into realms of  
intellectual heresy. Try it and see!